"Though friends certainly help with the loneliness"

"Yeah that's for sure," Priyanka agrees, and reaches over the squeeze Leigh's hand completely unexpectedly. "Let's be friends then!"

Leigh's cheeks burn and her heart pounds. Did that just happen? They walk the rest of the way talking intermittently, then, reaching the apartment, Leigh unlocks the door and leads them inside.

Once there they spread out their books on the coffee table and sit on the couch, spending a couple of hours talking through biological concepts. After a while, Priyanka leans back and holds her head. "This is killing me. Wanna do something else?"

"YES," Leigh says with more **** than she intends. "What do you want to do?"